There is something a little strange about being home this much.
If you know me, you know I\u2019m usually somewhere. London, Paris, New York, Mexico, a hotel, an airport, a conference, a press trip-you name it. Traveling has become such a big part of my life and my business that sometimes I joke that my suitcase knows my schedule better than I do. So being back home, spending more time in Cincinnati and looking at my calendar with fewer flights and more local events has made me pause and really think about what this season of entrepreneurship is asking of me.
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I\u2019m learning how to build differently. The business landscape has changed. The rollback and reworking of DEI initiatives across corporate America has affected the way many brands approach partnerships, sponsorships and community investments. Research from Catalyst and NYU\u2019s Meltzer Center found that 77% of organizations surveyed had adapted their inclusion efforts over the previous three years, while 51% of federal contractors reported scaling back those efforts. For entrepreneurs like me, who have built businesses through partnerships, brand relationships and creating experiences for underserved audiences, you feel those shifts.
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I could sit around and complain about it, but that\u2019s not really how I\u2019m wired. So I\u2019ve pivoted. Instead of relying as heavily on travel opportunities, brand campaigns and corporate partnerships, I\u2019m putting more energy into what I can build myself. That means more events. More rooms. More experiences. More opportunities for women to connect, learn, network and pour back into themselves and their businesses. It means bringing people together instead of waiting for someone else to create the room I want to see.
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That has required me to stretch. I\u2019m hosting more events than I normally would, and while there is excitement that comes with that, there is also a lot of work behind the scenes. There are venues, sponsors, tickets, marketing, speakers, partnerships, emails, logistics and all the little details nobody sees when they walk into a beautiful room and everything looks effortless. But I\u2019m realizing that this is also what entrepreneurship is: recognizing when the old way isn’t working the same way and having the courage to build another way.
That brings me back to something I wrote recently about learning to build with intention, not just momentum. I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about whether I\u2019m simply doing more or actually building something sustainable. Tasha Randle has been a great resource for me in thinking through that question.<\/p>\n
As a former Fortune 50 marketer and now strategic advisor to entrepreneurs, Tasha helps founders think through questions around how they position their business, communicate their value and make smarter decisions about where to focus as they grow.<\/p>\n
And if there\u2019s a business question you\u2019ve been wrestling with, she\u2019s opening up an opportunity to ask her directly. You can submit your business question here<\/a><\/u>, and she may answer it in an upcoming YouTube video. Your name and business information won\u2019t be shared publicly, and if your question is selected, the video response will be sent directly to you.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019d rather start by exploring some of her thinking first, you can also listen to her free audio guide, \u201c5 Signs Your Value May Be Getting Lost in Translation.\u201d<\/u><\/em> It’s a great place to start if you\u2019ve been working hard but wondering whether people truly understand the value of what you offer.
Maybe this season isn’t about traveling more. Maybe it\u2019s about building deeper. Maybe it isn’t about waiting for the next opportunity to knock. Maybe it’s about creating the opportunity yourself.
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So yes, I\u2019m home. While I may be home more than usual, I\u2019m not standing still. I\u2019m building. I\u2019m pivoting. I\u2019m creating new rooms, new experiences and new opportunities. And most importantly, I\u2019m learning that sometimes the biggest growth happens when you stop trying to recreate what worked before and start paying attention to what your business needs now.<\/span>
This season may look different, but different doesn’t mean diminished. It just means I\u2019m building something new.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n